You make every instrument sound so good when you play it, it almost makes the reviews unhelpful because they all sound equally great! Just goes to show that the player probably makes more difference than the exact instrument.
I've fallen in love with the baritone ukulele. I bought my first baritone from you a few weeks ago, and I don't want to put it down! The sound is just so lovely: smooth, rich and mellow. It's a great instrument to play , really rewarding.
From north wales. Same here struggled with guitars for decades. Acoustic, electric, mandolin! Don’t go there! My two lads over the years when around 12 picked them up. Played a few chords, both ended up in separate rock bands playing bass still do off an on now in their mid 30s. I saw a RUclips baritone tutorial bought one a tanglewood After having guitar experience I was all over it in no time! Might jump in the car and head down south to the shop this summer. A lesson learned with guitars I had too many of them. Maybe one more nice baritone! Happy playing to ya!
Just FYI, Alex. Bought your bari course and I LOVE the song in session 2! I played reentrant (standard) uke first, then guitar, and somehow baritone slightly befuddles me. This little ditty is fantastic.
I've only just started learning to play the soprano uke, but now I see a baritone in my future haha. I'll swing by your store next time I'm in the UK ;)
Fortunately, there are now a lot of music books for the Baritone uke. Most provide, chord shapes, notation and tab as well as lyrics. A few examples are: Baritone ukulele Sonbook, Tomas Balinger ... 70 Bluegrass classics Baritone ukulele Sonbook, Tomas Balinger ... 100 all time classics Baritone ukulele Sonbook, Tomas Balinger ... Shanties and songs of the sea Christmas on 34th street, M>Ryan Taylor (book contains separate versions for both GCAE and DCGE) The Big Baritone Ukulele Songook (125 songs from across genres and periods) ...Hal Leonard publications First 50 songs you should play on Baritone ukulele ... Hal Leonard publications Americana Classics ... Hal Leonard publications (NO TAB but each song shows chords for GCEA, DGBE, guitar, mandolin and banjo
I have the Ohana Baritone with the round bowl shape composite back. I strung it with 2 TIs and 2 Uke Logics. Sounds like a canon! I'm a Baritone fanatic, I'll check out your course!
Hearing "solid top" makes me think how little it actually means. I've compared my laminate KA-T to an all solid wood Islander that I returned, then an expansive and gorgeous Eastman EU3T(also had to return it because it sounded dead and no volume) and two days ago to a Martin TKE than I immediately also returned. All of them sounded weak and pale compared to my cheap KA-T, which is loud, articulate, crisp and has yet a very sweet tone that makes me play for hours. I'm done trying to find a better sounding uke. Solid wood probably doesn't make a difference on such a small instrument.
A tale of three tenors: My first uke was/is an all solid mahogany Kala tenor. The sound is divine. Rich, sweet, full. Fast forward a few years and someone falls in love with it and she buys what Kala are offering today. Still all solid but the construction has changed. Doesn't sound anything like mine. Thin and weak. Shortly after that a friend decides to take up uke and we get him a laminate Kala for a starter. The second solid one has almost nothing over the laminate one in terms of sound. I was gutted they spent so much more on the solid one than I did for mine a few years ago and what they could have bought a laminate one for. I'm looking to get myself a baritone now. I lean towards solid woods but I'm probably going to buy laminated as a first step. Without the opportunity to try in person it's just such a risk.
@bakedbean37 thanks for sharing your experience! You should have heard that 1000€ Martin next to my 109€ Kala KA-T. It sounded lifeless, dull and with half the volume. This laminate mahogany is obviously very well made and beats solid woods... Once I returned the Martin, I ordered a KA-S (new for 60€) and I'm getting another KA-T (70€...) to use with a low G. They are so cheap that I will probably get a concert and a baritone later on. 😏
@@jujufisherofmen I bought a (admittedly in an end of line sale at the time) £450 Tanglewood 6 string after passing up on every other guitar in town that day and trying way outside my budget. (Edit: budget was supposed to be about £600.) In a city at a time when we had plenty of good guitar shops. I really thought I was supposed to be going home cursing myself for getting carried away and spending too much that day. Two decades later I've just been sat here playing that guitar and I still couldn't imagine ever parting with it. Martins well in excess of a grand were tried that day. When I sat down with this one I thought I'd be wasting my time but I wanted to keep an open mind. I did not see me wanting an abalone encrusted jumbo. Turns out I was wrong. She still sings perfectly to my ears and fingers when I close my eyes. Sometimes I even think she looks beautiful too. I do regret giving her an accidental drunken kick one night and cracking the soundboard slightly. She doesn't seem to mind it too much though. 🙂
I loved the cedar and rosewood. The sustain was beautiful. I have a Maton guitar with cedar top and love it. Gorgeous baritone on that cedar/rosewood. ❤
I bought a cedar top. Willow sides Ohana concert recommended by your shop. I love it. I if I ever get a baritone I would buy a Ohana. I especially love the last one !
I really like the BK50G, too. I have swayed to more mahogany in the past, but the 50 got me! Went to your shop website, but lo and behold the picture shows a tie bridge?? Not the decadent through bridge I lust for. Potential Aussie customer ;)
Doesn't the baritone uke go back ~400 years to Portugal? Of course the name and tuning was different, but having 4 courses of strings and somewhat similar size? That existed. Beautiful uses here, for sure! I prefer the satin finish, but the sound improved as you upgraded. It's hard to tell at times, but the first seconds with each uke is more distinct.
Very interesting! I didn’t know all this history. Arthur Godfrey was a very big deal in early television in the US. I remember his show. Which brings me to my second point. Baritone ukes are frequently where older guitar players turn when they can’t play acoustic guitar anymore. That’s my story. I have a Kala and a Bonanza, and as an old folky, that’s where my music choices tend to turn. I love the last one you showed. Not a fan of high-gloss finishes though. Do they make it in a satin finish?
No they don't sadly. Gloss rightly or wrongly tends to be the finish of choice as you move up the price range for most brands... You could always sand it off haha!
For a second there I thought you were going to start rappin Eminem Without you - ...Two trailer park girls go round the outside, Round the outside, round the outside... 😅 That last BK50G Baritone is beautiful, it looks stained red as I watch it, but I checked the website it has the normal cedar colour!
As much as I have been listening to and playing the baritone you would think I could tell the difference in sound between laminate vs solid wood bodies....but frankly it was difficult for me to tell the difference (in the mahogany woods)!! I wonder why they felt compelled to add the word ukulele on their ukuleles....Hmmm! I guess they don't want people to think it is some type of 4 string guitar...I don't know!
Glad I saw this 16 hours I AFTER I bought my first Baritone! Thanks for nothing SUS! I Wanted to get a Kala or Ohana baritone but the shop I had a gift card for was all out so I ended up getting the cheapest Lanikai to see if I even like playing the baritone (I REALLY do btw). I think it would be interesting if you did a video of something like "Ukes Americans Can't Get But Should!" or "It's a Crime These Ukuleles Aren't in the USA" or something like that. I like torturing myself with Euro-envy sometimes. :P Sending much love from Las Vegas! Thanks for all the help with your channel! You might be a small channel but have been vitally important in my uke journey. Thank you for everything!
@@SouthernUkuleleStore Oh yeah! You do! How long does shipping take from way over there to the west coast US normally? I might be purchasing sooner then expected. lol
Yes, yes, but has somebody finally gotten around to making a _multiscale, fan-fretted_ baritone ukulele? There is now at least one such model in concert size, but the bass-boosting design is ideal for the larger baritone. It doesn't seem to exist yet, and I want one.
I think a lot of soprano and concert beginner ukulele players would be happier playing a baritone, but I always tell people to start with standard tuning because there's so much more beginner material available, unfortunately.
Actually I thought so too bit if you Google songs in baritone uke chords alot comes up. And if I don't find the song, I just use the guitar and standard uke chord songs chords and play the same chords on my baritone uke and tenor guitar.
They all sound decent, the bk50 is probably the best but unfortunately the average person cannot always justify the cost. I bought the bk20 for the solid top sound but bk35 was not at the shop but the bk20 notched out a full laminate one that was similar price. When looking at a midrange to good quality instrument you start to want more as you do research but unless you are Mr/miss/Mrs money bags there is only subtle differences in some woods so rather than be instrument shamed you have to go with what you can actually afford. Sometimes the cheaper nice sounding instrument is more peace of mind as you can be less paranoid about owning it than owning something you need to take a mortgage out on.
I only tune my baritone uke the Chicago tuning DGBE which most baritones are tunes sound more like the guitar. If you use GCEA on a barurone uke then your in tradition uke tuning for the soprano, concert and tenor ukes and what's the point?
I am a 71 year old lady with very small hands. I have been thinking of trying ukulele. I have had an awful time trying to play guitar over the years as my small finger is small compared to my hand size. Is there a uke you would recommend with a low action?
I’ve always encountered 19” as the standard size, and the 17” as tenor standard size. I am not claiming this to be correct, it is just what most ukes I’ve encountered use, and what I find on internet searches.
Fair enough. Kala, Lanikai, Ana'Ole, Kanile'a, Kamaka, Uma, Snail, Baton Rouge and Pono are the Baritones in stock right now at SUS with 20'+ scale lengths. Ohana is the only one shorter. I also know of Noah ukuleles choosing a shorter scale length and we once had specially made some Uluru baritones with a shorter scale. What do you find on Internet searches with a 19' scale length as I'd like to stock more.
They all have 38mm nut widths with 29mm string spacings. Our listing for the BK35G must have been based on an older version of the model but I have just checked the one I used in the video. It isn't uncommon for these measurements to change over time and people don't notice. :)
Are the fretboards across the BK-10, BK-14, and BK20 all the same? I went into a shop and fell in love with how the BK-10 feels, but I would really love to purchase the BK-20 for the solid top and am not entirely sure if the fretboard is the same.
Interesting fact about the scale length. You mentions tuning it to G C E A , .Would you then use Baritone strings, or use tenor strings . Or just tune the strings that it comes with to GCEA ? Thanks for the content. jeff
great info... i'm looking for a baritone ukulele that has smaller nut and bridge string spacing (similar to a guitar, but even smaller). even though ukuleles are smaller instruments, the string spacing is greater than the average guitar.
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
You make every instrument sound so good when you play it, it almost makes the reviews unhelpful because they all sound equally great! Just goes to show that the player probably makes more difference than the exact instrument.
Wow, thanks!
Couldn't possibly agree more! So damn inspiring!
Thank you too
The BK50 just sang. It’s like the body is a Tardis, the sound coming from a much bigger body. Loved them all.
I've fallen in love with the baritone ukulele. I bought my first baritone from you a few weeks ago, and I don't want to put it down! The sound is just so lovely: smooth, rich and mellow. It's a great instrument to play , really rewarding.
Glad you are enjoying it... I've always just understood the Baritone the most and loved it for its quirkiness. Glad you feel the same.
From north wales.
Same here struggled with guitars for decades.
Acoustic, electric, mandolin! Don’t go there!
My two lads over the years when around 12 picked them up.
Played a few chords, both ended up in separate rock bands
playing bass still do off an on now in their mid 30s.
I saw a RUclips baritone tutorial bought one a tanglewood
After having guitar experience I was all over it in no time!
Might jump in the car and head down south to the shop
this summer.
A lesson learned with guitars I had too many of them.
Maybe one more nice baritone!
Happy playing to ya!
Got my BK-14 from you guys. Play it much more than the Diana. Really warm sound.
Just FYI, Alex. Bought your bari course and I LOVE the song in session 2! I played reentrant (standard) uke first, then guitar, and somehow baritone slightly befuddles me. This little ditty is fantastic.
Oh cool! Thanks for the leap of faith 🙏
Really interesting to hear the history of the baritone ukulele Alex - thank you. These Ohana's are all great. Best wishes.
I've only just started learning to play the soprano uke, but now I see a baritone in my future haha. I'll swing by your store next time I'm in the UK ;)
Still loving the BK20 I bought from you a few years back.
Sounds very blues and jazz like. I like it
Fortunately, there are now a lot of music books for the Baritone uke. Most provide, chord shapes, notation and tab as well as lyrics. A few examples are:
Baritone ukulele Sonbook, Tomas Balinger ... 70 Bluegrass classics
Baritone ukulele Sonbook, Tomas Balinger ... 100 all time classics
Baritone ukulele Sonbook, Tomas Balinger ... Shanties and songs of the sea
Christmas on 34th street, M>Ryan Taylor (book contains separate versions for both GCAE and DCGE)
The Big Baritone Ukulele Songook (125 songs from across genres and periods) ...Hal Leonard publications
First 50 songs you should play on Baritone ukulele ... Hal Leonard publications
Americana Classics ... Hal Leonard publications (NO TAB but each song shows chords for GCEA, DGBE, guitar, mandolin and banjo
I have the Ohana Baritone with the round bowl shape composite back. I strung it with 2 TIs and 2 Uke Logics. Sounds like a canon! I'm a Baritone fanatic, I'll check out your course!
Mahalo!
I have that same Ohana and it is my go to. Unfortunately discontinued.
@@silliaek Yes, I feel lucky to have one!
Hearing "solid top" makes me think how little it actually means. I've compared my laminate KA-T to an all solid wood Islander that I returned, then an expansive and gorgeous Eastman EU3T(also had to return it because it sounded dead and no volume) and two days ago to a Martin TKE than I immediately also returned.
All of them sounded weak and pale compared to my cheap KA-T, which is loud, articulate, crisp and has yet a very sweet tone that makes me play for hours.
I'm done trying to find a better sounding uke. Solid wood probably doesn't make a difference on such a small instrument.
A tale of three tenors: My first uke was/is an all solid mahogany Kala tenor. The sound is divine. Rich, sweet, full.
Fast forward a few years and someone falls in love with it and she buys what Kala are offering today. Still all solid but the construction has changed. Doesn't sound anything like mine. Thin and weak.
Shortly after that a friend decides to take up uke and we get him a laminate Kala for a starter.
The second solid one has almost nothing over the laminate one in terms of sound.
I was gutted they spent so much more on the solid one than I did for mine a few years ago and what they could have bought a laminate one for.
I'm looking to get myself a baritone now. I lean towards solid woods but I'm probably going to buy laminated as a first step.
Without the opportunity to try in person it's just such a risk.
@bakedbean37 thanks for sharing your experience! You should have heard that 1000€ Martin next to my 109€ Kala KA-T. It sounded lifeless, dull and with half the volume. This laminate mahogany is obviously very well made and beats solid woods... Once I returned the Martin, I ordered a KA-S (new for 60€) and I'm getting another KA-T (70€...) to use with a low G. They are so cheap that I will probably get a concert and a baritone later on. 😏
@@jujufisherofmen I bought a (admittedly in an end of line sale at the time) £450 Tanglewood 6 string after passing up on every other guitar in town that day and trying way outside my budget. (Edit: budget was supposed to be about £600.)
In a city at a time when we had plenty of good guitar shops.
I really thought I was supposed to be going home cursing myself for getting carried away and spending too much that day.
Two decades later I've just been sat here playing that guitar and I still couldn't imagine ever parting with it.
Martins well in excess of a grand were tried that day.
When I sat down with this one I thought I'd be wasting my time but I wanted to keep an open mind. I did not see me wanting an abalone encrusted jumbo.
Turns out I was wrong.
She still sings perfectly to my ears and fingers when I close my eyes.
Sometimes I even think she looks beautiful too.
I do regret giving her an accidental drunken kick one night and cracking the soundboard slightly.
She doesn't seem to mind it too much though.
🙂
Thank you Alex. I really appreciated the history in the one.
This guy speaks truth. From a bari and "other" ukulele player.
Thanks Alex, Truely know nothing about baritones, fascinating. Got to say last one looks and sounds a gem. Great playing and demo. Have a great week.
I have an Ohana TK 39 tenor uke that I love. Hopefully someday I can add a Ohana baritone.
I loved the cedar and rosewood. The sustain was beautiful. I have a Maton guitar with cedar top and love it. Gorgeous baritone on that cedar/rosewood. ❤
Always enlightening , thank you , Alex. The price points of every one of those are attractive 🎉
I have a concert Ohana. They are such great instruments for the money
@@bonniedavidson936 tempting me even further !
Excellent history info on the baritone Uke! Thank you 🎶🎶
I bought a cedar top. Willow sides Ohana concert recommended by your shop. I love it. I if I ever get a baritone I would buy a Ohana. I especially love the last one !
Wonderful!
I really like the BK50G, too. I have swayed to more mahogany in the past, but the 50 got me! Went to your shop website, but lo and behold the picture shows a tie bridge?? Not the decadent through bridge I lust for. Potential Aussie customer ;)
Right on! Thanks for the heads up. Will change that today.... Bloody hell Ohana, stop changing things! haha
@@SouthernUkuleleStore Only for the better, Alex! 😆
@@OhanaUkuleles, excellent, because I ordered one!! 🎉
You made all of them sound good.But that last one you played uuuu me want.
I really wanna learn to how play the baritone uke! Thanks for the video!
Bought a bk 14 a few months ago and really like it; hope to get a bk 50 at some point. Thanks for your helpful demos!
Doesn't the baritone uke go back ~400 years to Portugal? Of course the name and tuning was different, but having 4 courses of strings and somewhat similar size? That existed.
Beautiful uses here, for sure! I prefer the satin finish, but the sound improved as you upgraded. It's hard to tell at times, but the first seconds with each uke is more distinct.
You can watch Arthur Godfrey play his in the movie "The Glass Bottom Boat" with Doris Day.
Very interesting! I didn’t know all this history. Arthur Godfrey was a very big deal in early television in the US. I remember his show. Which brings me to my second point. Baritone ukes are frequently where older guitar players turn when they can’t play acoustic guitar anymore. That’s my story. I have a Kala and a Bonanza, and as an old folky, that’s where my music choices tend to turn. I love the last one you showed. Not a fan of high-gloss finishes though. Do they make it in a satin finish?
No they don't sadly. Gloss rightly or wrongly tends to be the finish of choice as you move up the price range for most brands... You could always sand it off haha!
For a second there I thought you were going to start rappin Eminem Without you - ...Two trailer park girls go round the outside, Round the outside, round the outside... 😅
That last BK50G Baritone is beautiful, it looks stained red as I watch it, but I checked the website it has the normal cedar colour!
That was the plan!!
Wow, I had no idea Arthur Godfrey had hand in Baritone design.
As much as I have been listening to and playing the baritone you would think I could tell the difference in sound between laminate vs solid wood bodies....but frankly it was difficult for me to tell the difference (in the mahogany woods)!! I wonder why they felt compelled to add the word ukulele on their ukuleles....Hmmm! I guess they don't want people to think it is some type of 4 string guitar...I don't know!
Glad I saw this 16 hours I AFTER I bought my first Baritone! Thanks for nothing SUS!
I Wanted to get a Kala or Ohana baritone but the shop I had a gift card for was all out so I ended up getting the cheapest Lanikai to see if I even like playing the baritone (I REALLY do btw).
I think it would be interesting if you did a video of something like "Ukes Americans Can't Get But Should!" or "It's a Crime These Ukuleles Aren't in the USA" or something like that. I like torturing myself with Euro-envy sometimes. :P
Sending much love from Las Vegas! Thanks for all the help with your channel! You might be a small channel but have been vitally important in my uke journey. Thank you for everything!
The thing is... we ship to the US. Literally every day we send something to America.
@@SouthernUkuleleStore Oh yeah! You do! How long does shipping take from way over there to the west coast US normally? I might be purchasing sooner then expected. lol
About 5 working days including our set up time.
It's quicker to send to the US these days than Ireland
@@SouthernUkuleleStore Well yeah that makes sense. Ireland is f***ed. lol --- that's great to know. Thank you so much!
Yes, yes, but has somebody finally gotten around to making a _multiscale, fan-fretted_ baritone ukulele? There is now at least one such model in concert size, but the bass-boosting design is ideal for the larger baritone. It doesn't seem to exist yet, and I want one.
I think a lot of soprano and concert beginner ukulele players would be happier playing a baritone, but I always tell people to start with standard tuning because there's so much more beginner material available, unfortunately.
Actually I thought so too bit if you Google songs in baritone uke chords alot comes up. And if I don't find the song, I just use the guitar and standard uke chord songs chords and play the same chords on my baritone uke and tenor guitar.
They all sound decent, the bk50 is probably the best but unfortunately the average person cannot always justify the cost. I bought the bk20 for the solid top sound but bk35 was not at the shop but the bk20 notched out a full laminate one that was similar price. When looking at a midrange to good quality instrument you start to want more as you do research but unless you are Mr/miss/Mrs money bags there is only subtle differences in some woods so rather than be instrument shamed you have to go with what you can actually afford. Sometimes the cheaper nice sounding instrument is more peace of mind as you can be less paranoid about owning it than owning something you need to take a mortgage out on.
Do you recommend one to purchase a BK-20? And could you tell me a bit about the action?
I only tune my baritone uke the Chicago tuning DGBE which most baritones are tunes sound more like the guitar. If you use GCEA on a barurone uke then your in tradition uke tuning for the soprano, concert and tenor ukes and what's the point?
I am a 71 year old lady with very small hands. I have been thinking of trying ukulele. I have had an awful time trying to play guitar over the years as my small finger is small compared to my hand size. Is there a uke you would recommend with a low action?
Not a baritone. Try a Snail or Kala concert.
Love that BK50G! Favorite sounding! Do you by chance know if if comes with a electro/pick-up option ?
No it doesn't. It's easy for us to install pickups in though.
@@SouthernUkuleleStore Yeah, wish I was closer. I'm in Canada! Thanks
I’ve always encountered 19” as the standard size, and the 17” as tenor standard size. I am not claiming this to be correct, it is just what most ukes I’ve encountered use, and what I find on internet searches.
Fair enough. Kala, Lanikai, Ana'Ole, Kanile'a, Kamaka, Uma, Snail, Baton Rouge and Pono are the Baritones in stock right now at SUS with 20'+ scale lengths.
Ohana is the only one shorter. I also know of Noah ukuleles choosing a shorter scale length and we once had specially made some Uluru baritones with a shorter scale.
What do you find on Internet searches with a 19' scale length as I'd like to stock more.
On a twenty inch baritone uke strung DGBE what would be a good high D string thickness to use. Going to be clawhammer rig.
Nylon 0.032 (Classical Guitar B string would do a decent job)
Interesting that the BK 35 G has a 37 mm nut instead of a 38mm nut like the others.
They all have 38mm nut widths with 29mm string spacings. Our listing for the BK35G must have been based on an older version of the model but I have just checked the one I used in the video.
It isn't uncommon for these measurements to change over time and people don't notice. :)
@@SouthernUkuleleStore Thanks for your reply.
Are the fretboards across the BK-10, BK-14, and BK20 all the same? I went into a shop and fell in love with how the BK-10 feels, but I would really love to purchase the BK-20 for the solid top and am not entirely sure if the fretboard is the same.
Yes they are
Interesting fact about the scale length. You mentions tuning it to G C E A , .Would you then use Baritone strings, or use tenor strings . Or just tune the strings that it comes with to GCEA ? Thanks for the content. jeff
We sell a set of custom gauge D'Addario strings for Low G GCEA that work upto a 20.75'' scale. Aquila also make 2 sets that are Baritone High G GCEA.
@@SouthernUkuleleStore Thank you for your reply. jeff
They all sounded great, but I thought the BK35G was the best….
Will you be getting the BK 50 in again soon?
Yes. 10-14 days
@@SouthernUkuleleStore oh good I want to come & try it, it sounds so good. Thanks for such a speedy reply!
[11:45]: made in China? As pretty much everything nowadays :)
great info... i'm looking for a baritone ukulele that has smaller nut and bridge string spacing (similar to a guitar, but even smaller). even though ukuleles are smaller instruments, the string spacing is greater than the average guitar.
The Snail and Pono Baritones sound like the best bet for you.
@@SouthernUkuleleStore Great- I will check them out. Thanks a lot!